Leaving the Past Behind
by Shadowstar556
Summary: Phineas' father has been gone for years. None of his friends know about it, but they might break the ice and send Phineas on the road to leaving his dad behind. The summary isn't good, the story is much better. A 2 part story, 2nd part is coming soon.


_**A/N: Hey guys! So here's a two part story that I randomly started writing in school.**_

_**I really have been wondering about who Phineas' dad is. We may never be able to find out, but we have our imaginations! So I used mine, since we only use 10% of our brains.**_

_**Also, the event that Phin's dad died in did happen, obviously. I wanted to post it on the day, or close to it, but I posted it way later.**_

_**Personally, I think the P&F Fan Fiction category needs more Phineas angst.**_

**This story is dedicated to all of those who were lost and who lost someone on 9/11/01**

_**Please enjoy.**_

**Info: _Italics are flashbacks_**

You know how everyone tells you that hate is a strong word? Well, believe me, it is. I'm not known as someone to hate, but I hate this day.

September 11th...

My friends think I don't like this day because of all the people who were lost, they think my emotions are weak. But they're not, and my friends are wrong. I do feel sorry for all of the people who were lost, and their families... but I'm sorry for one person in particular.

He was the one who laughed and made every ones' day; he was the one who cared about other people, the person who brought small inventions home for me when I was little.

He was Theodore Flynn. My father.

When I was little we lived in New York, my dad had a job at the offices at the World Trade Center. Even though he worked in an office he still invented. He was my role model, and I wanted to grow up to be just like him. He always helped people feel better, and would give and asked for nothing in return. One day he had brought home Perry. Dad said he was deathly ill when he had found him; Perry was possibly the best thing dad had ever given to me. That was just one thing that he has done for others.

Our apartment was small and usually filled with papers from dad's office that he had to work on, but it was cozy and he always found time for me and Candace. Mom was always happy, she had to stay home and take care of us, but she owned an online antique store to help with the family, along with everything else she did.

Dad and I spent a lot of time together. I'll never forget the times when he would come home and read to me and show me his inventions. We were really close. I was four on September 11th, 2001 and dad had went to work early that morning. I remember he would always tell me, "If you want to be an inventor, you have to enjoy it. Never forget the way you feel when you finish a project, no matter how small it is." I didn't understand what that actually meant until I met Ferb.

I remember the day like it was yesterday...

_I heard a small sound come from my doorway, it was my dad, "Hey, sport," he smiled as he walked over to me and sat on my bed. My four year old eyes looked at him with interest. "What are you doing up so early?"_

_ "I couldn't sleep." I told him._

_ "Why not?"_

_ "Perry's not here," I patted the spot on my bed where he would always sleep. "It's scary without him."_

_ Dad smiled kindly and pushed his dark red bangs out of his eyes. "Well, you know Perry disappears every day. Maybe he had to leave early."_

_ "But, Daddy, he's a platypus, not a secret agent." I protested._

_ "You never know, Phin," he grinned. "He just might be."_

_ He stood up to leave. "Where are you going?" I asked him._

_ "I have to go to work, remember?" He slipped on a dark blue suit jacket._

_ "Don't leave; I'll miss you!" I clung to his jacket._

_ "Phineas, I have to go. I'll be back, I _promise_."_

_ "_Prrrr!_" We looked over to the foot of the bed and saw Perry standing there._

_ "Oh, there you are, Perry." Dad commented as he pet the platypus. "When I come home I'll show you something extra special."_

_ "Really?" I asked, interested._

_ "Yep. Now, you go back to sleep" He told me, gently. "You don't want to get in trouble with you mom, do you?"_

_ "No, I don't think so. I love you, daddy." I hugged him._

_ "I love you, too, Phin." he returned the embrace and then I released him._

_ He smiled at me and slowly walked out and quietly closed the door. But he looked at me one last time. I would savor that toothy grin he gave me for the rest of my life._

_ After the door clicked shut, I felt sleep take over me, and I gave into the peaceful calmness..._

That smile...

It would haunt me and also give me comfort for years to come.

The news..

The footage...

The shock...

The _phone call_...

_My mom was obsessively watching the TV. I knew something was wrong because she was pacing and biting her nails._

_ "What's wrong, mommy?" I asked her._

_ She looked at me with eyes that were filled with so much sadness and pain that I backed away slightly. "Nothing, sweetie." she looked out of the window._

_ Candace looked at mom and tugged on her shirt, "Mom, isn't dad in that building?" she pointed to the TV, which showed a tall building that was burning. It was so horrific to watch that I turned away from the sight of it. I was supposed to be in my room, and I think I knew why._

_ Mom had a scared look on her face for a brief second. "N-no. I-I don't know..."_

_ Candace hugged mom, but all I could do was stare at the footage once again._

_ Dad worked there. He had taken me there once._

_ The phone rang..._

_ Mom broke off from the hug to answer it. "H-hello?"_

_ I could faintly hear the person on the other end. "Is this... Linda Flynn?"_

_ Mom tensed. "Yes."_

_ "We are regretful to inform you that your husband, Theodore Flynn, has been killed at the attack on the World Trade Center."_

_ **A/N: I know this is not how families were told, but I had to speed it up. And I admittedly feel bad about getting this piece of info wrong.**_

_Mom's eyes went wide, "Do you have any information on the..." she looked at me and Candace. "...accident?"_

_ "Unfortunately, no. None that can be released, ma'am."_

_ "I- good-bye." she hung up the phone and grasped her hand to her mouth, fell to her knees, and sobbed._

_ Candace ran over to her and hugged her, tightly. The nine year old wrapped her arms around her mother and held her. "Mom, it'll be okay." she broke down crying also. Everyone had heard the conversation._

_ I stood, shocked. How could he be gone? He had promised he'd come home. He promised..._

I wiped tears from my eyes with my sweatshirt sleeve. This morning had been pretty hard. No one, not even Ferb, knew about what happened to my dad, let alone anything about him.

_"Hey, Phineas," Isabella walked in wearing her jeans and pink shirt. "Watcha doin'?"_

_ I looked up from where I was sitting under the tree. "Oh, hey. Nothing."_

_ "Nothing?" her face portrayed confusion. "Aren't you the one always _doing something_? The Phineas Flynn _I_ know wouldn't do 'nothing'"_

_ "I... just need some time by myself... _alone_." I told her, messing with a loose string from my sweatshirt._

_ "Why? Is something wrong?"_

_ "Well-"_

_ "You can tell me; I'm your best friend, I can keep a secret."_

_ "I know, but-!"_

_ "Is it about what happened this day? Phineas, if you can't handle it-"_

_ "It's hard to explain, okay?" I snapped." You don't need to know _everything _that is wrong with me!" I stood up and walked inside; leaving Isabella with a look of shock on her face._

_ She know something was wrong._

I had hurt Isabella, and what was worse was that I knew I would when I was saying it.

I opened the front door and stepped out. It was a cool autumn day. I looked far down the road and saw a faint group of trees. Apple, orange, dogwood, maple, and cherry trees.

I walked for about twenty minutes and approached the field. Stones were everywhere.

Gravestones.

Under the only cherry tree lay a stone that read:

_Theodore Flynn_

_August 3rd, 1956- September 11th, 2001_

_An inspiration to all_

_The perfect son and husband_

_May he rest in peace eternally_

"Hey, sorry I couldn't come last week. Ferb and I build something for Mayor Doofenshmirtz, it kept us pretty busy. But I wanted to come. I really did. It's been pretty lonely without you.. it's been eleven years. I have dad- Lawrence, but you understood me more than anyone, even mom. You should see her and Lawrence together. They're really happy, but I can tell mom misses you. She ate three pieces of chocolate cake this morning. That's how I know. She always was really picky about what she ate.

"I've been thinking for a while now, and I just wanted to know, why _you_? Other people escaped from the towers. Why not you? I know you'd tell me 'We can't wonder about the past. It keeps us behind. Stick with the future, you'll be ahead and learn the answers along the way', but it's so hard knowing that if... if I hadn't talked to you that morning, you might have missed that collision. I never told mom this, she wouldn't understand. She'd tell me it wasn't my fault and that you're always with me, wherever I go. You don't- didn't- think that way. Candace doesn't know either, but she knows I regret you being out of our reach. She tell me that things happen for a reason. That, if you hadn't died, I would have never met Ferb. But what am I supposed to do, celebrate that you're dead? Be happy that you went through torture? How can she even _think _something like that?" I choked on my words.

"Everyone seems to be moving on.. except me. How can mom and Candace ever forget you? You would always bring home crazy inventions and sometimes even those pictures that you drew. I still have every single one of them. The one where you and me were sitting with Perry on a bench in the park, when Candace and I were laughing at mom when she spilled ice cream all over you, _all of them_. It should be impossible to forget you, but I'm starting to. Your face is so blurry in my memories and dreams. All I can remember is that one last smile you gave me, but I'm afraid I'll forget that, too; and your promise. You promised you would come home. You never broke your promises before, and you didn't. I know that now. When I was little I always thought you had broken your promise and had ran away and that you never wanted to see me ever again, but then I learned you would never be coming back. I always wondered what that one last surprise was. You never did anything over the top like we do not. I mean, it was New York; there's not a lot of room in an apartment. But, to me, the smallest things were the ones I cherished even more, and still do."

I looked up at the setting sun, displaying colors shooting from the sun and expanded across the enormous sky, "Well, I have to go. Mom said I need to be home by seven o'clock." I looked at my watch. "Which would be 45 minutes ago. I'll see you next week."

I put a daisy chain around his grave. It was like a force field to keep everything bad away, but I knew where he was.

He was in a safe Heaven.

_**A/N: Okay, so that was part 1, part 2 is coming... I'd say pretty soon.**_

_**This, again, was dedicated to all of the people who were lost, and has lost someone, in 9/11.**_

_**If there are any typos or mistakes please tell me, I want you guys to actually read it the right way.**_

_**What do you think about this? Tell me: review!**_

_**I at least hope you enjoyed this piece of Phineas angst.**_


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